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QuarkVI
21st December 2016, 07:31 PM
Well it seems Christmas arrived a touch early at my place - got home this afternoon to find a wooden box waiting for me.

Link to photos https://goo.gl/photos/6UzzCjjqkFojuep76

(apologies for posting the link to the album - just converted from Picasa to Google Photos and it doesn't seem to play nicely with forum photos like Picasa did - grrr)

SO a bit difficult to build any suspense now that you can see the whole album :U

Got the VL150BM from Woodworking HQ in Auckland with the optional 1HP motor and Teco VFD - in addition I requested the 3 speed instead of usual 6 speed pulley on the BM. You will also see the assortment of switches I have purchased to wire it all up.

Unfortunately I have to first finish my new workbench as I gave my previous one to a mate to help him out (that is the slab you see under everything in the photos - some recycled rimu flooring) which will then mean I can build the stand for the lathe and get it all wired up.

This is the first time I have seen a Vicmarc lathe in person and it is quite a relief to see how stoutly it is built - the ways are 18mm thick! About the weakest thing on the lathe is the dinky door used to access the pulley and belt.

Also got a new VM100 chuck - got rid of my Super Nova as I was sick and tired of turning clockwise to open. Looking to also get one of the dedicated thread chucks to be able to compare to the insert type to see if any practical difference in use.

Obviously the above means I finally got over my analysis paralysis - not enough budget to get a VL240 but the VL150 should cover 95% of my turning requirements - if anyone is interested in how I made the decision let me know and I will share my analysis/decision points.

Looking forward to getting it up and running and will post some pics of the stand build etc.

cheers
Robin

Hors
22nd December 2016, 06:19 PM
Look forward to it (the build WIP)

Are motor and VFD supplied by vicmarc or Woodturning HQ?

QuarkVI
22nd December 2016, 06:56 PM
A couple of people sent pm's asking how I eventually decided on the VL150 with a separate motor/vfd....

So here is the distilled version i.e. I have cut out a few weeks of wasted time with incorrect thinking. I won't go as far as posting my spreadsheet :o


I had a Nova TL1500 that I got at an excellent price and it did the trick for me BUT it didn't have variable speed - which was starting to annoy me greatly as I found myself running at a less than ideal speed simply to avoid belt changes....

In addition to that I wanted to get a "good" lathe as I saw no point in getting stuck in repeated upgrades and losing a bit of money at each step - I readily admit this criteria doesn't affect function especially for my short list of lathes:

- Add EVS to my TL1500
- Hare & Forbes (aka Machinery House) WL - 46A
- Vicmarc
- Nova DVR XP
- Harvey T40
- Wivamac DB801
- Second hand Vicmarc wasn't an option as have seen only 1 old one in the last 2 years of looking.

Originally my ideal lathe was the Vicmarc VL175 - and with that no longer available the ideal lathe would be the VL240. My dream lathe is probably a stubby. But budget slowed me down especially when adding in the shipping to NZ and being realistic about the chucks and tools I would also like to buy.

Adding EVS to my TL1500 was discounted as it would solve the EVS problem but I would still want to upgrade the lathe at some point to something nicer and I wouldn't be able to recoup the spend

The Harvey T40 and Wivamac DB801 just didn't give me bang for buck i.e. similar to Vicmarc price and I would prefer a Vicmarc

Nova DVR XP was initially discounted because of the speed control via buttons - I managed to confirm with Teknatool that I could relocate the control panel to the tailstock end via a longer shielded 10 core ribbon cable but the pressing buttons multiple times would freak me out. Plus the banjo and ways not being as heavy duty as the Vicmarcs and WL-46A sowed some doubt.

I got to that point reasonably easily but then I got stuck for a couple of weeks and it really forced me to re-evaluate my requirements and consider what type of turning I wanted to do. Especially when you consider the VL150 and WL-46A is in one price bracket while the rest of the Vicmarcs are a step up from that (assuming buying lathe only and adding my own motor/VFD). Note that the VL200 got excluded as the short bed would suit me great but couldn't take a bed extension.

Having had the time with the TL1500 and being around the hobby for a couple of years have definitely helped me understand what I enjoy and want to do most of the time. So if I think in terms of the VL240 the requirements it meets for me are ...

- EVS
- ability to go down to ~200 rpm for thread chasing
- It is a Vicmarc (this comes down to the intangible "quality" thing)
- Ability to do "normal" bowls if I need to
- Ability to add extension bed for longer spindles e.g. furniture legs
- At first I thought the rotating head was a plus but I hardly used that feature on the TL1500

Reality is most of the turning I am currently interested in and want to do in the future is fairly small scale - boxes, geometric forms, decorations, small bowls - the big bowls and furniture spindles are just now and again jobs mostly for friends.

Then looked at the budget and either I maxed myself out plus a bit more on a VL240 or a VL300 OR went with the VL150/WL-46A and had the money left for a couple of chucks, jaws, new gouges, a bandsaw and a benchcrafted vise.

So that meant it was the VL150 or WL-46A.

WL-46A meant I would get all the capacity I could reasonably expect to need BUT it didn't tick the desire/quality box and I had the suspicion that even after getting it I would always desire a Vicmarc. Also I rent and hence tend to have half a double garage as my "shed" and the size of the lathe would make it difficult to fit in the planned bandsaw, my workbench and other tools. I also considered upgrading the banjo to a Vicmarc one.

The VL150 hits the desire mark, can be extended for long spindles BUT doesn't allow outboard turning and means I couldn't do big bowls. It also fits into my shed better and leaves space for the bandsaw. I believed it would manage more than 90% of what I want to turn and that I wouldn't ever sell it rather I would eventually add a bigger format lathe if I wanted to start turning bigger items. Combine that with WoodworkingHQ having a good deal on it (remember I have to include shipping to NZ) plus a TECO motor and VFD and it was the logical decision. Was originally going to buy a bed extension but have chose to save the money for another chuck and see how a kwila extension works for the couple of long spindles I need to do.

If I had been able to see a Vicmarc or two in person I believe my decision would of been even easier i.e. I strongly recommend you try and see the lathe you are considering. I still think the WL-46A is awesome value for money especially if you pick it up during one of the regular specials. At the end of the day I was able to indulge a bit of my desire for a Vicmarc and my style of turning matched what I could afford - if I was a bowl and hollow vessel kind of guy then I think it would of had to be the WL-46A.

I don't think the above changes too much if you don't want to make the stand and do the electrics yourself i.e. you need to get the VL150SM. And yes my budgeting did include the costing of the switches and cables - aliexpress made it quite a bit cheaper.


my lengthy 2c.

QuarkVI
22nd December 2016, 06:58 PM
Look forward to it (the build WIP)

Are motor and VFD supplied by vicmarc or Woodturning HQ?

The are ex Woodworking HQ in Auckland - 1 hp Teco 3 phase motor and Teco FM50 VFD. Note they come unwired (they do offer an option to do this for you for a fee) so you need to add in the costs for doing that and buying switches etc. if you want a remote box.

Mobyturns
30th December 2016, 07:28 AM
Great lathe choice, but I'm a little mystified why you would go for a 3rd party motor & VFD.

I have a VL150 with the Vicmarc motor / VFD and find it a superb lathe, smooth, quiet, powerful, absolutely no vibration and as you say it has the "intangibles" of quality. However I think the "intangibles" are fact not impressions, when the fit & finish and overall quality is taken into account. I have turned continuously for several hours, even done pen tube boring for many hours at 200 rpm or so with no hassles about over heating of motor or VFD. Not to many of the "cheapies" will do that.

QuarkVI
30th December 2016, 06:19 PM
The only reason for the 3rd party motor/VFD was budget - saved me ~$1300. Wasn't an easy decisions as I did consider that I was trading my time and potentially reliability of the motor/VFD - also my home built bench etc. is probably not going to be as pretty either.
Hence did quite a bit of research on the TECO VFD and motor and didn't find anything to cause alarm plus Woodworking HQ offers a guarantee.

At the end of the day I traded my time and some of the "like" factor for the ability to buy a bandsaw this year.

Hopefully v2 of the base with drawers etc. sorts the pretty factor.

Finished glue up on new bench today so that means the lathe stand build is on course to start next week!

Willy Nelson
30th December 2016, 07:15 PM
You definitely cannot go wrong with anything with Vicmarc written on it
I have just purchased the VL 300, which you may have seen my thread on. I am yet to finish writing up a component review and overall impression of the lathe. I did take some more photos which I will post soon
Cheers
Willy

Colin62
30th December 2016, 08:18 PM
At the end of the day I traded my time and some of the "like" factor for the ability to buy a bandsaw this year.

And besides, you can always upgrade to a Vicmarc motor in a year or two when you can afford it.:)

QuarkVI
31st December 2016, 07:55 AM
I should've added that my sums are based on NZ prices - exchange rate pretty good at the moment but shipping is a killer and quite a bit more for the VL150 SM vs BM - and the fact these are brought in one at a time doesn't help the costs. Otherwise my savings don't make sense :-)

Admittedly I could've save a small amount of money, potentially, by importing directly vs purchasing from Woodworking HQ but after doing a few sums I realised that their price was reasonable and took all the hassle out of the equation including dealing with customs plus I wanted to support them trying to bring some good quality lathes into NZ.